Topic: Rockstar has a new game called IV

[Plugabugz]

Does anybody know if THE WALL is still in this one?

[Dirk Temporo]

Here is a question.  The GTA series had me desiring to create a sandbox type game around a city.  But I really wanted you to be an average Joe with missions that could literally be resolved several means.

So are there any missions you can accomplish by doing legal means?  Why am I forced to become a criminal basically...a true sandbox game should not be like that.

I always wanted to make a sandbox game with this radical idea that you are going to do very mundane things.  Go to the store and buy groceries for the family on a set budget...now do you want to speed there?  Do you want to obey the speed limit?  do you want to steal?  Whatever...and you can accomplish your goal any way...but if you decide to do illegal things they  have permanent consequences throughout the entire game.  For instance, if you break the law you might just get a ticket...and then lay low.  If you kill somebody and the body is discovered, then the police will be after you, and if you are caught for a crime you will be arrested and possibly sent to jail.  However, if you kill a cop in the game you are a cop killer and they actively seek you out, and will shoot to kill instead of arrest.

Something like that sounds amazing...I know it would mean less crime storyline, but why is that needed.  I really like the idea of forming the story by my actions, not a cheesy plot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game

[Flames_of_chaos]

Well I picked up the special edition of the 360 version (I had gift certificates so why not). And here are my complaints with the game:

1. Game is way too dark - I had to bump up the brightness and contrast up a few levels, I have no idea how people can play on default.

2. Melee combat sucks - retarded control scheme that seems very archaic.

3. Cars can stall out or are sometimes hard to control - this factor can screw you up big time on car chase missions which can get frustrating.

4. On foot controls are clunky - they feel very sluggish and they are not tight at all.

5. Controls are in general mediocre or poor - See 2,3,4 and add to the fact that some button choices probably came out of no where.

6. Minimal HUD - I don't mind the health bar being on the radar but I do mind that they took out what weapon is constantly displayed, the only way to know is switching weapons via the dpad.

7. Doesn't feel "next gen" - Now I see why some of you above weren't happy that the city feels sterile and it does because its modeled after a really busy and yet New York City Liberty City feels so empty also there are a lot of mechanics that don't feel polished at all.


Edit: 8. Camera - I can not stand the camera angles or the camera system of this game at all.

But even though with those issues the game is still engaging and at times when it's not frustrating, it's fun. But it is not worth a 10/10 it should be somewhere between a 8.5 - 9.0 on a scale of 1 - 10.

[D_Average]

But even though with those issues the game is still engaging and at times when it's not frustrating, it's fun. But it is not worth a 10/10 it should be somewhere between a 8.5 - 9.0 on a scale of 1 - 10.

Let us not forget the acting is clearing "Oscar worthy" (confirmed by Hillary Goldstein), therefore a 10 sounds about right.

[Flames_of_chaos]

But even though with those issues the game is still engaging and at times when it's not frustrating, it's fun. But it is not worth a 10/10 it should be somewhere between a 8.5 - 9.0 on a scale of 1 - 10.

Let us not forget the acting is clearing "Oscar worthy" (confirmed by Hillary Goldstein), therefore a 10 sounds about right.

Maybe Rockstar wrote Hillary and IGN an Oscar worthy check and the check was made out of gold

[matt oz]

I haven't had any problems with the game being dark.  My problem is reading messages and stuff on my cell phone.  The text is extremely small and almost illegible.  I'm playing on a 27" CRT in 480i, which is most likely the cause of the problem.  I have the same problem with Viva PiΓ±ata, the only other game I have so far for my 360.  It's like they only test games in 1080i, or whatever, so they don't realize that the text is blurry in 480i.

My gripes (similar to most of Flames_of_chaos's):
- Camera.  Especially while driving.  I like to see as much of the road in front of me as possible, but when I move the camera angle to accommodate that, it automatically goes back to where it was before.
- On foot controls.  Holding A to run?  Repeatedly tapping A to sprint?  WTF?  I think the 360 controller has about 4 buttons too many, and the controls for this game could have been streamlined so that every minute action doesn't require a different button.
- I completely agree that this game doesn't feel next-gen.  I finally bought a 360 for this game, and I was just expecting more out of it.  Maybe I'm missing something, but the story doesn't seem that compelling to me.  And the voice acting is certainly above average, but it's obvious they used an American for Niko's role.  (I don't know exactly which country he's supposed to be from, but I've known several Russians and a couple of Serbs, none of whom spoke anything like Niko.)  I don't have the opportunity to play this on an HDTV, so maybe I'm missing out on the graphics, but I really don't play games for graphics, anyway.

What I do enjoy:
- The missions have a lot of variety, at least from what I've seen so far (about 12 hours in).
- Some of the characters are fantastic.  I think everyone knows a Brucie at some point in their life.
- The varied car physics.
- THE RADIO STATIONS –  I love Radio Broker.  I even love Juliette Lewis as the DJ even though she's a crazy scientologist.  And PLR is always good for lolz.
- Maybe I'm immature, but I find the hookers' animations in the car to be hilarious.  Great detail there.

[Maverick]

I haven't had any problems with the game being dark.  My problem is reading messages and stuff on my cell phone.  The text is extremely small and almost illegible.

Did you try changing the text option to "Large" in the cell phone menu?  It helped me out a bit.  I'm playing on a 47" 1080p and I still have trouble making out the text at times.

- THE RADIO STATIONS –  I love Radio Broker.  I even love Juliette Lewis as the DJ even though she's a crazy scientologist.  And PLR is always good for lolz.

I actually think this is the worst GTA in terms of radio.  Iggy on the rock station was alright, and there were good songs, but I don't know, they all just seemed kind of boring compared to earlier titles.  Maybe 'cause I'm a classic rock guy and I heard all the classic rock stations they play in the game on the way home from work.

- Maybe I'm immature, but I find the hookers' animations in the car to be hilarious.  Great detail there.

"Oh yeah, **** the **** out of it!"  "That's it!  Grab my ******* you ****!"

[Flames_of_chaos]

Mat oz,

     I think they are supposed to be Russian however a typical Russian can sound different because there are different slavic dialects(Russian is a Slavic dialect) and plus the region of Russia or countries that have Russian language is just huge.

I think Rockstar tried to force a Russian accent.

[Maverick]

Niko says in the game, "I'm not Russian."

[Bill Aurion]

I'm pretty sure Nico is Polish (at least he sounds that way), and is even called a "Polack" at one point in the game...

[matt oz]

Did you try changing the text option to "Large" in the cell phone menu?  It helped me out a bit.  I'm playing on a 47" 1080p and I still have trouble making out the text at times.

No, I haven't seen that option.  I'll try that the next time I play.  Thanks!

I actually think this is the worst GTA in terms of radio.  Iggy on the rock station was alright, and there were good songs, but I don't know, they all just seemed kind of boring compared to earlier titles.  Maybe 'cause I'm a classic rock guy and I heard all the classic rock stations they play in the game on the way home from work.

I'm really not familiar with how the radio stations were in other games.  The only other GTA game I played was Vice City on the PC.  I hated the controls so I only got about 20-30% through the game.  All I know is that I love listening to the radio in this game.  My problem is that I have a somewhat narrow taste in music, so there are only 3 music stations I can listen to for a long period of time.

I'm pretty sure Nico is Polish (at least he sounds that way), and is even called a "Polack" at one point in the game...

Ah, but Brucie's the one who calls him a Polack, and Brucie's a half-retarded juicehead, so I wouldn't put much credence in that, personally.

[Maverick]

Niko Bellic is a fictional character in the Grand Theft Auto video game series. He is the main protagonist and playable character of Grand Theft Auto IV. He is 30-years old, between 5’11” and 6’2” and is 190-200 lbs, of Serbian origin.[3][4] [5]

Niko grew up in war-torn Yugoslavia[6][7].

[Dirk Temporo]

3. Cars can stall out or are sometimes hard to control - this factor can screw you up big time on car chase missions which can get frustrating.

Cars stall out when you beat the crap out of them. I still fail to see how having an alternative to the car blowing up and taking you with it is bad. Also, they're hard to control because they control more realistically now.

4. On foot controls are clunky - they feel very sluggish and they are not tight at all.

It only seems that way because in the others you could start a sprint from stand-still, and do a 180 instantaneously. Much like the cars, Niko runs more realistically now.

5. Controls are in general mediocre or poor - See 2,3,4 and add to the fact that some button choices probably came out of no where.

How do you mean "out of nowhere"?

6. Minimal HUD - I don't mind the health bar being on the radar but I do mind that they took out what weapon is constantly displayed, the only way to know is switching weapons via the dpad.

I like that. You see the weapon icon when you reload anyway.

[quote[7. Doesn't feel "next gen" - Now I see why some of you above weren't happy that the city feels sterile and it does because its modeled after a really busy and yet New York City Liberty City feels so empty also there are a lot of mechanics that don't feel polished at all.[/quote]

I still can't even fathom how people say the city feels "empty" or "sterile." It's anything but, and is easily one of the best things about the game.

[Flames_of_chaos]

I'm pretty sure Nico is Polish (at least he sounds that way), and is even called a "Polack" at one point in the game...

That is true but he doesn't have  a Polish accent (or Rockstar butchered that badly). I know first hand because I'm a native of Poland. But in the game Nico does speak Russian(I vaguely know Russian), maybe hes a Russian offshoot.

[Maverick]

Niko Bellic is a fictional character in the Grand Theft Auto video game series. He is the main protagonist and playable character of Grand Theft Auto IV. He is 30-years old, between 5’11” and 6’2” and is 190-200 lbs, of Serbian origin.[3][4] [5]

Niko grew up in war-torn Yugoslavia[6][7].

[Dasmos]

3. Cars can stall out or are sometimes hard to control - this factor can screw you up big time on car chase missions which can get frustrating.

Cars stall out when you beat the crap out of them. I still fail to see how having an alternative to the car blowing up and taking you with it is bad. Also, they're hard to control because they control more realistically now.

4. On foot controls are clunky - they feel very sluggish and they are not tight at all.

It only seems that way because in the others you could start a sprint from stand-still, and do a 180 instantaneously. Much like the cars, Niko runs more realistically now.

"Realistic" doesn't always mean better, this game proves that without a shadow of a doubt. Besides I don't see how this is a defence.

6. Minimal HUD - I don't mind the health bar being on the radar but I do mind that they took out what weapon is constantly displayed, the only way to know is switching weapons via the dpad.

I like that. You see the weapon icon when you reload anyway.

You like that they have taken out a useful feature for no reason? I can see why it would be excluded if it was distracting or obstructing the view, but it doesn't.

7. Doesn't feel "next gen" - Now I see why some of you above weren't happy that the city feels sterile and it does because its modeled after a really busy and yet New York City Liberty City feels so empty also there are a lot of mechanics that don't feel polished at all.

I still can't even fathom how people say the city feels "empty" or "sterile." It's anything but, and is easily one of the best things about the game.

Oh wow, you're debating opinion? Good luck with that.

[Spak-Spang]

I love when people think pushing more and more realistic aspects of games will always make games better...driving is particular almost always gets worse the more realistic you get.

The reason being is simple, in real life there are much more inputs that you take in while driving...you basically "feel" the car and know how much you can push it, and you can get very subtle speed and break reactions, and you to basically feel the turns and the car with what is going on and react appropriately.  In a game you can't do that.  You are only watching the input you are putting in on the television, and so realism just doesn't work.  Instead of striving for realism you need to strive for what makes the game feel good and is actually playable and fun.

If that is accomplished then it doesn't matter how realistic it is...you have succeeded in your game.

[Flames_of_chaos]

And here is Yahtzee to the rescue with his Zero Punctuation review of GTA4   I think his arguments are very valid and funny.

[DAaaMan64]

I'm glad he had the guts to mention the obsession with realism. Although it seems like everything he enjoys goes through the same coffee filters.

[Flames_of_chaos]

Even though I don't agree with Yahtzee all the time I'm glad he has the guts to speak his mind without worrying about a Gerstman-gate incident.

[matt oz]

Has anyone gotten the "Let Sleeping Rockstars Lie" achievement?  I played in a regular deathmatch today (not ranked) and the first guy I killed happened to be a Rockstar employee, apparently, because I got the achievement when I popped him in the noggin.  I was quite pleased with myself because I thought that was one achievement I'd never get.

Sad story: I've put ~40 hours into GTA 4, and I've gotten more achievement points in the 8 or so hours I've played Uno.

[matt oz]

Well, I finally beat it after putting it down for nearly 2 months.  This may be the first time I've ever gone back to a game and beaten it.  I always tell myself I'll do it, but I never do.  (ie - every PS2 RPG I've attempted playing.)

In the end, I wasn't overly impressed with the story.  I didn't really feel anything for Nico.  Sure, he's dealt with a lot of crap in his past, but he became a horrible person.  Roman was no angel, but he got over it.  I felt really bad for Ma McReary.  Two of her kids are dead, one's in jail, one's a smack addict, and the only one she has left is Packie.  So sad.

I would've liked to see more missions with the McRearys.  They were by far my favorite to work for.  Three Leaf Clover was the most challenging mission in the game, and for all the right reasons, too.  The dynamic among all the siblings was interesting to see.  And the Blood Brothers mission was a very good choice on Rockstar's part.  That was the only "choice" mission where I hesitated, but I think I made the right decision.

Overall, I'd give it a solid 9/10.  It's not perfect by any means, but it was an awesome "next-gen" gaming experience.  It wasn't as immersive as Mass Effect, it wasn't as innovative as Portal, but it did a lot of things right, and I can't wait for the DLC.  I'm hoping to see some new friends, new activities, new islands, and then a bunch of new side missions to go along with all that.

[Caliban]

the first guy I killed happened to be a Rockstar employee

I would've liked to see more missions with the McRearys.  They were by far my favorite to work for.

Same here.

What was your favourite ending, Money or Revenge?
I think the Money ending was more complete, and emotional. It just felt more gratifying.

[ShyGuy]

So I finally got to try this game, see what all the hype was about.

- Wow, the game is very very very dark. The graphics look great they just need the brightness and contrast turned way up.
- Wow, the driving controls are hideous. Accidentally zoom in to your bumper while driving? WHY EVEN GIVE THAT OPTION? Stupid.
- Ugh, the walking controls aren't very good either. Is this because I'm playing on the PS3? Cause everything is very loose.
- I already want all the main characters to die in a fire.

After about thirty minutes I turned the game off. Most over hyped game of 2008 by far. The so called gaming media are filthy whores.

[NWR_Lindy]

It's overrated, but it's still very good.  What annoyed me the most was that they didn't have a checkpoint system in the longer missions, so if you nearly got to the end of a mission but died because you fell off a cliff or did something stupid, you had to do the ENTIRE thing over again (including driving halfway across the map).  This is no big deal at the beginning of the game because the missions are short, but at the end of the game it's maddening.

I did enjoy it though.